PHL 221 CRITICAL THINKING
FIRST MIDTERM STUDY GUIDE
Go over your notes from class videos, the readings and take the two
sets of practice questions. There will be 70 questions on the actual
exam. You are allowed a 3x5 card of notes (both sides). To guide
your study, use the review questions below:
What is the correspondence theory of truth and how is it different
from the relativist theory? According to the arguments presented in
reading and in class, which is the better theory and why? What is
Shroedinger’s Cat and which theory does it support? What is the law
of excluded middle? Why were Emoto’s water experiments and the
double-slit experiment brought up in class?
As defined in class, what is critical thinking? What is its goals?
How are feelings related to critical thinking? Is empathy a
necessary part of critical thinking?
Under what conditions, if any, does Clifford say you are morally
permitted to believe something without sufficient evidence? What is
his ship owner example and what is it supposed to prove? Why does
Clifford say unjustified beliefs (that is, beliefs without
sufficient evidence) are morally wrong? According to Clifford, are
your beliefs your own business? Why or why not? Following Clifford,
what metaphor does the instructor use for a person walking around
with unjustified beliefs?
Define the following terms: Argument, premise, conclusion,
deductive, inductive, valid/invalid, strong/weak, sound/unsound.
What is an implied premise or conclusion? What’s the difference
between an implied and a background belief?
You should know the basic logical operators and how they determine
the truth value of complex statements: negation, conjunction,
disjunction and implication. You should also know the difference
between the antecedent and the consequent in a statement of
implication.
You will be given many examples of arguments and asked to identify
premises and conclusion, including implied premises and conclusions.
You will also be asked to identify whether an argument is one of the
basic valid arguments forms (modus ponens, modus tollens,
disjunctive syllogism or dilemma) or one of the basic formal
fallacies (denying the antecedent, asserting the consequent).
Make sure to read "Is Truth Relative? Do We Create Our Own Reality?"
as there will be some specific questions on it.